Success for area ski resorts this season lies in the water supply, as snowmaking machines work overtime in this unusually dry winter.
With their snowmaking capability and adequate water reserves, operators at Mountain High Resort, Big Bear Mountain Resort and Snow Summit in the San Bernardino Mountains said they have an advantage over smaller lodges. Mountain High draws its water from a well system, while Snow Summit and Big Bear depend on Big Bear Lake.
The ample water supply has proved a saving grace for the three large resorts, which have reported attendance slightly lower than the 1998-99 season, which was dry as well.
“We’re slower than normal, but we’re doing better than others, considering the lack of natural snow,” said Big Bear Mountain Resort’s communications director, Judi Bowers.
Big Bear Mountain Resort reported 2,000 to 4,000 visitors a day during the normally busy week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Mountain High reported a daily attendance of “several thousand” for the same holiday period.
While Bowers had no specific numbers for the same period in 1998, she noted the resort had “a lot more” people during that holiday season. She attributed 1999’s attendance drop to lack of natural snow and Y2K fears, which she said could have compelled customers to remain at home. During a dry winter, Bowers said, “I think our biggest obstacle is in trying to get people to understand that we are open.”
“If they hear that one resort is hurting because of lack of snow, they figure that everyone is hurting, and that it’s not worth it to come up to the mountains,” she said.
Snow Summit, which has touted its snowmaking capabilities in radio advertisements, sold out a few days during the holiday week, with maximum daily attendance of about 6,000, according to Snow Summit spokeswoman Genevieve Gunnarson.
Other resorts with limited or no snowmaking machinery,such as Ski Sunrise near Wrightwood,have stood empty under clear skies and have lost millions of dollars in revenue this winter.
Dan Atkin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the region has seen only about 10% of normal precipitation, or .42 inches, so far in the season that began July 1.
“There’s really been no significant snow in the San Bernardino Mountains,” said Atkin. “All of the snow has been manmade, and the only good thing is that the temperatures have been cool enough to keep it there.”
Atkin said the La Ni & #324;a weather pattern that is expected to dominate the region through March is a contributing factor to the dry conditions. In a La Ni & #324;a condition, ocean temperatures cool and alter storm patterns, keeping much of the precipitation in the Pacific Northwest.
According to the Southland Ski Server web page, 11 of the 16 Southern California and Eastern Sierra winter resorts were closed late last week, including Ski Sunrise, Mount Baldy Ski Lifts, Rim Nordic Cross Country in Running Springs and Palm Springs Cross Country Tramway Adventure Center.
“It’s been terrible,” said Mike Ogborn, general manager at Ski Sunrise. “We missed the holiday season, and we’re just waiting to see if any snow will fall on us and allow us to open.”
After two dry winters, Ski Sunrise owner Howard More has entertained the idea of selling the 97-acre property. But he said he is “not ready to roll over and play dead” without exploring alternatives.
“I have hope that we can work on water development,” More said. “We need more water to make the snow we need.”
To make that hope a reality, Ski Sunrise would need to drum up a deal with the Big Pines Water District and shell out millions of dollars for additional water, according to Ogborn. Ski Sunrise shares potable water from a 300,000-gallon water tank, which Ogborn said could not begin to cover the slopes in machine-made snow.
Bowers said her 195-acre resort has drawn 300 acre-feet of water so far this season to make snow. One acre-foot equals 326,000 gallons, meaning that Big Bear Mountain Resort has used 97.8 million gallons of water so far to keep its slopes covered in white stuff.
All of the Big Bear Lake water eventually returns to its source through mountain runoff, Bowers added. n
